An Interview with Johannes Möller
Interviews with Classical Guitarists
Johannes Möller is the 2010 GFA competition winner. He’s also a composer, and that experience lends him a very unique insight into interpretation (see part 2). You can connect with Johannes on facebook and youtube. Part 1 When and how Johannes got started on the guitar How previous competition experience helped prepare him for the […]
Read MoreMonday Motivation: Teicholz plays Ziffrin
Monday Motivation
“Every man in the world is better than someone else and not as good as someone else.” -William Saroyan Today we feature Marc Teicholz performing a little known work by composer Marilyn Ziffrin. Kind of a cool piece. Apparently there are more works for guitar that she wrote (according to Teicholz’s narrative at the beginning […]
Read MoreVideo Lesson: Tuning the 6th String to D
Classical Guitar Videos, Guitar Performance Tips
This is a (very) short video about how I like to put my guitar in “Drop D” tuning. This method, as I explain the video, works a bit better for keeping the sixth string more stable. As in, it doesn’t go sharp again after a minute or two of playing.
Read MoreChange Strings All at Once, or One at a Time?
Classical Guitars (Buying, Care, Maintenence)
This is a guest post by Luthier Dan Koentopp. Dan builds classical and archtop guitars in Chicago, IL. Connect with him on facebook and twitter. Most well made guitars are set up and adjusted with all the strings up to tension. As the strings are stretched, the forces are distributed and stored in the guitar’s […]
Read MoreMonday Motivation: Azabagic plays Tárrega
Monday Motivation
“If you hit a wrong note, then make it right by what you play afterwards.” -Joe Pass Today we feature Denis Azabagic performing Tárrega’s variations on Carnival of Venice. Not sure how I feel about this piece. It’s certainly fun to watch Denis play it, however!
Read MoreFast Scale Gestures and Grouping
Musical Interpretation and Musicianship
The Villa Lobos preludes have been part of my new repertoire for this semester, and, while practicing the second one, something stuck out about fast scales. Especially those scales which are clearly gestural and “out of time”. The challenge with any fast gesture is figuring out how to group the notes. In other words, determining […]
Read MoreMonday Motivation: de Visée on Theorbo
Monday Motivation
“I only want to get lost now, lost in music.” -John McLaughlin These two pieces are beautifully played (and filmed) by Jonas Nordberg. I don’t have much experience with listening to or seeing the theorbo, so this was really a treat to check out.
Read MoreSing a Little
Musical Interpretation and Musicianship
The guitar is not a very ear intensive instrument. We tune up, then we go. It’s not like winds or voices or other strings: we don’t have to constantly be on guard and adjust our tuning on the fly (theoretically). It’s Important that we work to develop our ear, and singing is one of the […]
Read MoreAn Interview with SoloDuo
Interviews with Classical Guitarists
Last summer the (now defunct) Fort Worth Guitar Guild brought in SoloDuo. Their concert was phenomenal, and it was great to sit down and chat with them. Matteo Mela and Lorenzo Micheli are two of the finest musicians around, and the interview contains a lot of wisdom about interpretation, music, and the guitar. Part One […]
Read MoreMonday Motivation: SoloDuo
Monday Motivation
“The shorter way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time.” -Mozart Today we feature SoloDuo performing a Le Coucou by Claude Daquin. The piece is kind of flashy and fun. If you haven’t checked out SoloDuo’s new CD, Ferdinand Rebay: Guitar Sonatas (aff), it’s worth a listen. Great music […]
Read More